Crazy About Cakes: 300 Delectable Recipes for Every Occasion

By Krystina Castella

First cupcakes, then cookies. Now, here comes the ultimate cake book--and home bakers will go CRAZY over it!
This latest addition to Sterlings Crazy About series gives cake lovers a trove of fun, fresh cake designs and more than 150 delicious, easy-to-make recipes. Krystyna Castella has devised something special for every occasion under the sun, from birthdays and brunches to holidays and weddings. There are even cakes for babies, chocolate addicts, fruit lovers, and ice cream aficionados.
Creative tips on preparing, decorating, topping, filling, storing, packaging, gifting, shipping, and serving perfectly delectable cakes round out this must-have book.   CAKES INCLUDE:
Banana Agave  *  Chocolate Chip Sour Cream  *  Strawberry Rhubarb Jam  *  Almond Spice  * American Buttermilk*  Rainbow Sweet 16 Cake  *  Chocolate Covered Cheesecake  *  Miniature Tiered Wedding Cakes  *  and many more!
 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Union Square & Co.
• Release date: Nov 1, 2011
• ISBN: 9781402789298

Book preview

Cakes in the Know

THE CAKE MAKER’S TOOL KIT

It’s all about the gear. My particular obsession is collecting various pans and tools for cake making—especially the vintage items. I treasure the baking pans that I inherited from my grandmother, which are almost one hundred years old. I also scour estate sales and flea markets, where I can find really unusual tools that are no longer available. I don’t draw inspiration just from antique items, though. Silicone bakeware is fairly new to the market, but I find it inspirational because it makes shaping my cakes so easy. Whatever your inspiration, using the right stuff is an essential part of the process.

Cake Shapes

LAYER CAKES

Most of us think of layer cakes as two or three layers, stacked on top of one another, with frosting between the layers and on the top and sides of the cake—but layer cakes are so much more. They can be any shape or size or number of layers; they can be filled or frosted with just about anything, and you may choose to leave the sides unfrosted to expose the tasty goodness.

Layer cakes can be stacked in a glass dish, as they are in a trifle (such as the Christmas Cactus Trifle), or made into sandwiches (such as the Passover Cakes). Tiered cakes (like the Quinceañera Cake) are layer cakes made by stacking layers of decreasing size on top of one another; cakes with multiple layers include Princess Cake and Devil’s Food Cake.

SHEET CAKES

These rectangular or square cakes are common party cakes because, when frosted with a smooth surface, they are ideal for decorating. They are also easy to scale up or down, depending on the size of the crowd you are expecting. Sheet cakes can be rectangular or square, filled—with cream, jam, or frosting—or not. The most common homemade size is a 9 × 13-inch rectangle.

SHAPED CAKES

Easy yet impressive, shaped cakes can be baked in special molds or pans, or formed into shapes after baking. The Day of the Dead Cake, for example, is baked in a skull-shaped pan. Cakes that are shaped after baking include the Bunny Cakes and Mom Cake.

Shaped cakes made from dough (instead of batter) are often molded by hand and kneaded and rolled out on a floured work surface. This surface could be a cutting board, a silicone mat, or the countertop. I like to use large plastic cutting boards because they are light and easy to move around. I have a marble one, too, but I don’t use it much because it is heavy.

ROLLED CAKES

Baked in a jelly-roll pan, and most often starting with a springy spongecake batter, rolled cakes are made by covering a large thin sheet of cake with a thin layer of frosting, filling, whipped cream, buttercream, or jam, and then rolling it into a log shape before baking. Examples of rolled cakes are the Strawberry Pistachio Yule Log Slices and the Peanut Sesame Raspberry Roll.

INDIVIDUAL CAKES

Although cupcakes are the best-known examples, individual cakes— or single-serving cakes—come in many shapes and sizes. They are usually made in small pans, such as muffin-top pans, mini-Bundts, or mini loaf pans. Examples of individual cakes include the Salty-Sweet Savory Bundts.

LOAF CAKES

These casual cakes are usually eaten for breakfast or snacks. Pound Cake is most often baked in these relatively tall, rectangular pans. Other examples of loaf cakes include the Lemon Poppy Loaves and the Tomato Basil Cake.

RING CAKES

True to their name, these cakes are shaped like a ring, and contain a hole in the middle. In other types of cakes the center is the last part to achieve doneness during cooking. So a ring shape ensures even baking throughout by allowing heat to reach the center more quickly. Angel Food Cake is a specific type of ring cake made in a special pan to allow for even rising of the sponge batter. Some Bundt cakes are also ring cakes, such as the Purple Rose of Cake. Other examples of ring cakes include the Cinnamon Walnut Coffee Cake and the Pecan Cake.

Cake Pans

ROUND PANS

Readily available in diameters from 3 to 20 inches, round pans are most popular in the 8-inch, 9-inch, and 10-inch sizes. The standard depth is 2 inches, which is ideal for layer cakes. Pans that are 3 to 4 inches deep are used for single-layer or tiered cakes. Some have contoured sides (see the picture of the Chocolate Champagne Cake); others have a removable bottom, similar to a tart pan or springform pan.

SPRINGFORM PANS

Although springform pans are suitable for baking any type of cake, they are most commonly used for cheesecake. A springform pan consists of two parts: a removable base with a waffled texture, which gives it strength, and a tall ring that fits around the base and is secured with a buckle. This buckle unlocks to release the cake after baking.

Material Matters

It isn’t just the shape of the pan you choose that affects how it looks—the material of the cake pan is very important for proper baking. When you choose a pan, consider its color and weight. Light-colored bakeware, including shiny metals such as aluminum or steel or cast iron coated with enamel, reflects heat. Because it does not absorb as much heat as dark pans, your cakes won’t get as brown on the bottom or the edges. Stainless steel is a nonreactive metal and good for baking.

Dark-colored bakeware, including pans with nonstick coatings, absorb more heat. Nonstick pans are nice if you prefer not to heavily grease the pan. Many pans are made with reactive metals like aluminum, copper, and cast iron, which sometimes react negatively with acidic ingredients in the batter, such as lemon juice. Thick metal bakeware distributes the heat more evenly than bakeware made from thin metal. If you are concerned about browning the sides of the cake too much when baking a large cake, or one with a long baking time, your best bet is to use a thick metal pan. Earthenware and ceramics do not do a good job of retaining heat, but they are fantastic for cakes with moist ingredients and longer baking times, such as the Sweet Potato Cake. Silicone bakeware is great when it comes time to get the cakes out of the pan, but silicone’s flexible nature makes the pans flop around and hard to pick up and put in the oven when they’re full of batter. The solution is to always place silicone pans on top of a rigid baking sheet before filling. Transfer the sheet and pan to the oven and bake on the baking sheet as directed.

The most popular sizes for springform pans are the 9-inch and 10-inch varieties, with 3-inch-high sides. I like to make miniature cheesecakes in 4-inch-diameter springform pans. One caveat: most springform pans leak, so make sure to wrap the outside bottom and sides with foil before filling the pan with batter.

TUBE PANS

Round, with a hole in the middle, tube pans may have flat or rounded bottoms. They are available in many different diameters, with varying interior and exterior ring dimensions. The hole in the middle helps tall cakes cook more evenly. A tube cake is usually inverted before serving, to create a pleasing shape on top (see, for example, the Coffee Liqueur Bundt Cake.

ANGEL FOOD PANS

Designed specifically for angel food cake (a sponge cake made with egg whites rather than yolks; see angel food cake), the traditional angel food pan is a 9- or 10-inch tube pan that is 4 inches deep. It has a removable inner core and bottom, as well as cooling legs. Angel food cakes can rise to an elegant height when exposed to heat (hence the tall sides and core of the pan), yet they are very delicate and can collapse if not cooled properly (hence the legs).

BUNDT PANS

The crimped or fluted tube-shaped Bundt pan was created in the 1950s and is now an American icon. The pans allow figured cakes to pop straight out of the pan, and with only a little dusting of sugar or drizzling of glaze you have a beautiful cake. Fluted Bundt pans will need care when greasing to be sure that every nook and cranny is covered.

There are dozens of Bundt shapes, from pumpkins to roses, available in several sizes.

SQUARE PANS

Square layer cakes are in right now— using square pans instead of round pans gives a cake a more modern look. The most common sizes for square pans are 8-inch, 9-inch, and 10-inch.

SHEET PANS

If you’ve ever ordered a cake at a bakery, you probably had to choose either a full sheet (24 × 16 inches), or a half sheet (12 × 16 inches), or a quarter sheet (8 × 12 inches). Most home ovens are too small to accommodate the larger sizes, so the most common size for a homemade sheet cake is 9 × 13 inches. To make larger cakes, you can butt two smaller cakes next to each other—or, if your oven is large enough, consider purchasing larger sheet pans at a restaurant supply store.

LOAF PANS

These long, slim pans are available in a variety of sizes and lengths. Small loaf pans are typically 3 × 5¾ inches and are great to use when preparing miniature cakes as gifts. The most common larger sizes are 4 × 8 (or 4¼ × 8½) and 5 × 9 inches. Some recipes call for the extra-long 4 × 16-inch pan, which is great for baking a long family-style cake in a unique presentation. I like to line loaf pans with paper liners so the cakes are easy to remove.

JELLY-ROLL PANS

These large, flat pans look like baking sheets, except that they have taller sides—typically ¾–1 inch high. They are used to make thin sheets of cake that are suitable for rolling, or as baking sheets for pastries. The household size is 10½ × 15½ inches, although some recipes call for 11¾ × 7½, 12¼ × 9, or 17¼ × 11½-inch pans.

BAKING SHEETS

Baking sheets can be used to support other pans or to bake a hand-formed cake made out of dough. The best sheets are made from shiny aluminum; darker sheets absorb heat and may make your cakes too brown on the bottom. Purchase baking sheets about 4 inches smaller than your oven, so heat can circulate around them—12 × 15½ inches is a good size. Sheets with no lip on three sides and a raised, angled lip on the fourth side make it easy to slide cakes off—on purpose! Line baking sheets with parchment paper to diffuse the heat and allow easy cake removal.

MUFFIN TINS

Also used for cupcakes, muffin tins are commonly available in mini, medium, and large sizes. When I call for a cake to be baked in a mini muffin tin, that means I have tested the recipe using tins that have cavities about 1¾–2 inches in diameter and about ¾–1 inch deep. Standard or medium cupcakes were baked in a tin that has cavities about 2¾–3 inches in diameter and 1¹/8–1½ inches deep; large muffin tins have cavities that are about 2–2½ inches deep. Although you can bake cupcakes directly in the tin—and some recipes specify this—most people prefer to use paper or foil liners so that the cakes are easy to remove and hold. Liners are available in standard sizes, as well as in different heights, which can vary the size and shape of the cupcake. You can also find figured muffin tins that have patterns molded into the metal.

SPECIALTY PANS

There are hundreds of specialty cake pans on the market, for everything from miniature bite-size treats to larger-than-life extravaganzas. The shapes range from very simple stars and hearts to incredibly complex castles and storybook characters. You can find geometric shapes (pyramids, hexagons, or domes), religious shapes (crosses), numbers, and seasonal shapes (snowflakes). Two-part pans are used to create teddy bears and other shapes that are designed to stand upright.

OTHER BAKING CONTAINERS

You don’t have to bake your cake in a pan. You can bake cakes in drinking glasses, coffee mugs, earthenware bowls, or baking dishes. Paper cups can also be used for baking, because most are lined with a wax coating that does not melt—although if you are unsure, line the inside of the cup with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Cakes stored in a baking dish will give your presentation a homemade feeling. I have seen some people try to pass off a store-bought cake as homemade by transferring it to a cake plate, but I have never seen someone transfer a cake to a baking dish. This is a sure sign that it is homemade! Pretty baking dishes are perfect for sheet cakes or single-layer cakes (such as the Chocolate Cherry Fruitcake that you plan to transport to a party or give as a gift. In addition, disposable baking pans are very useful for giving and transporting cakes. They can also be placed inside a cake pan and used instead of parchment paper to prevent sticking and to diffuse the heat.

Cake-Making Tools

As an industrial designer, I love my tools. I have five toolboxes: one for woodworking, another for metalwork, one for sculpting, a fourth for sewing, and the fifth one is filled with cake-making and decorating supplies. But no matter what I’m making, I’ve found that the secret to success doesn’t have anything to do with purchasing tons of tools; rather, it lies in having the best basic tools for the job. Following is a list to get you started.

MEASURING CUPS

To achieve the most accurate measurements, use 2-cup glass measuring cups with spouts for liquid ingredients (use 2-quart cups for dividing batter between pans). Use cup sets in graduated (typically ¼-, ¹/3-, ½-, and 1-cup) sizes for dry ingredients. Spoon the dry ingredients into the cups and remove any excess ingredients by running a knife over the top of the cup to level.

MEASURING SPOONS

Household teaspoons and tablespoons usually are designed for aesthetics and are not accurate for cooking or baking. To be sure you have the correct volume, use a set of measuring spoons in graduated sizes.

MIXING BOWLS

Although I have many choices when it comes to mixing bowls, my antique Pyrex bowls with ’60s-style patterns on the side are sturdy and versatile and make me happy, so I use them all the time. For most home cooks, a good starter set consists of three bowls—one with a 3-quart capacity, one with a 2-quart capacity, and another with a 1½-quart capacity. The larger bowls are useful for whipping eggs, creaming, and combining dry ingredients, and the smaller bowl is good for melting chocolate and combining mix-ins such as chips, nuts, and dried fruits. An array of 1-cup bowls to hold chopped ingredients and small mixtures is also handy. Plastic and melamine bowls are light, durable, nonreactive, and quiet when using an electric hand mixer and can be put in the microwave. Purchase bowls with a spout for pouring, if possible; bowls with lids are also useful for transporting ingredients or mixtures to places where you need to complete your preparation on-site. Stainless steel bowls are good for mixing and folding, but they might be noisy when using an electric hand mixer and can’t be put in the microwave. Heavy-duty ceramic bowls are designed not to chip when using a hand mixer, but many are purely decorative, so make sure they’re meant for cooking before you purchase them.

ELECTRIC MIXERS

An electric mixer is the best way to beat eggs to various stages of consistency and is also the best way to cream ingredients. If you’re using a handheld electric mixer, you’ll notice that the beaters on older models have a post running down the middle of each beater, whereas newer mixers have convex, curved wires with open centers that allow for better movement of the batter. Buy a handheld mixer that has a good range of power and speeds and both whisk-style and standard beater attachments. Hand mixers are available in cordless and corded models.

If you’re in the market for a stand mixer, you already know that its main advantage is that you don’t need to hold the bowl steady as you mix; it locks in place. Stand mixers also come with many different attachments—for whisking, kneading dough, and making ice cream.

FOOD PROCESSOR OR BLENDER

I use my food processor all the time to grind nuts, blend sauces, and form dough into a ball. A blender can sometimes be used as a food processor to whip or purée relatively small amounts of liquids.

PASTRY BLENDER

This hand tool has several parallel U-shaped wires attached to a handle. It is used to blend shortening and flour together until the mixture forms crumbs, usually about the size of coarsely ground meal.

SPATULAS, WHISKS, WOODEN SPOONS

Stock your tool kit with whisks, wooden spoons, and rubber spatulas of varying sizes. Use whisks for beating ingredients, wooden spoons for folding, and rubber spatulas for scraping the bowl and mixing frosting.

CAKE LEVELER

If you bake a lot of cakes, you may want to invest in a cake leveler, which cuts a cake horizontally into equal thicknesses. Most cake levelers are adjustable, so you may be able to create several layers out of a single cake. A sharp, long, serrated knife can also be used for creating layers.

COOKIE CUTTERS

Cookie cutters aren’t just for cookies; I often use them to cut cakes into shapes after baking. Metal cutters are usually sharpest, but when shape matters, plastic cookie cutters will also do. Metal cutters rust if not dried properly, so be sure to place them in an oven on low heat (200°F) for 10 minutes to dry out after washing.

DOUGHNUT CUTTER

This metal tool is made of two 1-inch-high rings, one inside the other. Doughnut cutters are available with plain or fluted edges. Convertible cutters allow you to take out the center ring to make round filled doughnuts. To use the cutter, first dip it in flour, then press it into the dough.

ZESTERS AND GRATERS

Used to remove the zest from citrus fruits, a zester or a microplane grater allows you to remove only the thin outer layer of the peel and not the bitter white pith. A box grater can be used for large ingredients, such as carrots and potatoes, but many of them have a side with small holes for zesting as well.

OVEN

All ovens bake differently and vary in accuracy, so get to know your oven intimately by testing a variety of recipes. Is the oven hotter or cooler than the thermometer indicates? Does the air circulate well, or is the oven hotter at the edges? Once you know your oven, adjust the timing, baking temperature, and placement of cakes accordingly.

If you are using a convection oven, a good general rule is to bake your cake for slightly less time and/or at a slightly lower temperature than you would if you were using a conventional oven. Due to increased air circulation around the pans, cakes baked in a convection oven have less moisture loss, and the sugars in fruits and vegetables caramelize more quickly. Either bake your cake at the same temperature you would use in a conventional oven, but for a shorter time (about 25–30 percent), or bake your cake for the same amount of time at a lower temperature (about 25 degrees cooler). The recipe directions in this book assume that you are using a conventional oven.

OVEN THERMOMETER

I lived in a rental house for ten years, and the oven in that house had no temperature gauge on it whatsoever. I got used to measuring its temperature with an oven thermometer, and even now that I have a digital oven, I always like to check its accuracy with an oven thermometer. The time of day and altitude can also affect oven temperature.

CANDY AND FRYING THERMOMETERS

A candy thermometer is used to measure the temperature of sugar mixtures, sauces, and frostings at their various stages of cooking. A frying thermometer measures the temperature of oil for frying doughnuts and other fried cakes. Some thermometers can be used for both candy making and deep-frying; others are designed for either purpose. Purchase one that clips onto the side of the saucepan.

COOLING RACKS

Although some cakes should be cooled partially or completely in the pan, others may continue to brown slightly and get soggy if left in a hot pan. These should be placed on a rack to cool. Cooling racks are essentially metal grids or bars on legs. They allow air to circulate around the entire cake so it cools evenly. If you have a small kitchen, look for stackable cooling racks.

DOUBLE BOILER

A double boiler is good for items that need to be heated very slowly or gently over low heat. Delicate foods are placed in the top pan and water is placed in the bottom pan. Make sure that the water in the bottom does not touch the top pan, or it may boil over and contaminate the ingredients. If you don’t have a double boiler, you can fashion one by placing a large heatproof mixing bowl over a medium saucepan filled partially with water. Melting chocolate and blending delicate sauces are usually best done over simmering water in a double boiler (not in the microwave) because you can keep an eye on the ingredients, heat them gradually, stir them gently, and remove them immediately from the heat when they’re done. Look for a double boiler in which the top saucepan is not too deep—about 3 inches for a 2-quart saucepan.

DEEP FRYER

If you don’t have a special appliance for deep-frying, a heavy-bottomed pot or saucepan will do the job nicely. Just remember to keep a lid handy in case of an unexpected fire. Also, choose a large pot with short handles to lessen the chance that you might accidentally tip it over; deep sides will lessen grease splatters.

SIFTERS

Most people, including me, hate sifting, but sometimes you just have to go there. Sifting gets rid of lumps in dry ingredients like flour and confectioners’ sugar that can cause clumps in your cake or frosting. When directed to do so in recipes, sift flour before measuring. If you don’t have a sifter, you can use a handheld sieve. Small sifters are good for dusting cakes with confectioners’ sugar or cocoa powder.

PLASTIC WRAP

Use plastic wrap whenever you want to retain moisture; for example, you should cover dough with plastic wrap when you put it in the refrigerator or freezer to chill.

PARCHMENT PAPER

Lining your pans with parchment paper prevents sticking and encourages even baking by absorbing and distributing the heat. It also prevents the bottoms of your cakes from burning. Some people like to butter the paper before filling the pan to further prevent sticking, especially for batters that are low in fat. I also put paper on baking sheets when I prepare pastries.

PASTRY BRUSH

A pastry brush is used to distribute sauces and syrups evenly over cakes. Invest in an all-natural, high-quality boar-bristle or silicone brush so you don’t risk getting hairs on the cake. You will know it is a high-quality brush by the price—good brushes are not cheap. Good brushes can handle anything from thick syrups to light egg washes; they are lightweight and easy to grip. Dedicate your brush for use with baked goods only—unless you want your cake to taste like barbecue sauce or garlic!

ROLLING PIN

If you splurge on one tool, make it a heavy marble rolling pin: it’s worth every penny. It makes rolling out dough much easier than it is with a wooden rolling pin.

RULER

A ruler is good to have on hand for marking a cake before cutting it into layers and for ensuring that decorations are evenly spaced.

TIMER

Baking time is always going to be inexact. It will depend on the moisture in the ingredients, how many pans are in the oven at the same time and thus how much room there is for air to circulate, and how accurate your oven’s temperature is. Buy a kitchen timer but carry it with you when you are baking. You don’t want the timer on your stove or oven to beep while you’re too far away to hear it!

THE CAKE DECORATOR’S TOOL KIT

Beautiful cakes tempt us through our eyes. We love looking at them, hate cutting into them, and adore eating them. Millions of people around the globe decorate cakes as an outlet for their creativity. Some find cake decorating fun and relaxing; others are very serious about it as an art—the art of edible sculpture. To most decorators, the process of decorating is just as important as the look of the final cake.

To me, the appeal of decorating lies partly in its impermanence. As an industrial designer, I create mass-produced products out of plastic, metal, wood, and fabric. I always try to lengthen the life cycle and improve the sustainability of my designs, but with cake, the pressure is off. I make it, I eat it—and it is gone.

Today, sugar craft—the fancy term for candy making and cake decorating—is a large industry, and cake decoration is a major sector of it. Cake decorating appeals to everyone from pastry chefs to graffiti artists to stay-at-home moms. Classes are taught at community colleges, cooking schools, gourmet shops, and hobby stores. Well-known cake decorators have their own recognizable styles, and up-and-comers subscribe to magazines, attend workshops, and practice to develop their skills. Some decorators build life-size figures out of cake, others focus on daintily decorated half-inch cubes. Below is a crash course on the basics of the craft.

Types of Decoration

FROSTING AND ICING

Although these terms are often used interchangeably, frosting is usually thick enough to spread on a cake and icing is generally thin enough to be drizzled or poured over it. Both are made primarily with confectioners’ sugar mixed with liquid and flavorings. Sometimes, eggs and butter are added. Some are cooked; others are not. There are hundreds of different types of frostings and icings, including thick and fluffy Chocolate Frosting, smooth Lemon Icing, and hard Royal Icing.

BUTTERCREAM

Sinfully rich and fluffy, buttercream is made from butter, eggs, and sugar. Some buttercreams are cooked; others aren’t. The bases for buttercream include whole eggs, egg whites, yolks, and custards, and they can be flavored with melted chocolate, extracts, liquor, zests, and fruits.

GLAZES

Glazes—similar to icings, but thinner—are shiny toppings and fillings that are brushed, poured, drizzled, or dripped onto cakes. Thin glazes soak into the cake for additional favor. Fresh fruits, jams, and preserves can be made into fruit glazes by straining out the seeds and thick chunks of pulp. Jellies can be made into glazes by heating them and mixing with other ingredients. Chocolate glazes are made by combining melted chocolate with cream and butter or corn syrup until the mixture reaches a pourable consistency. Caramel glazes (such as the one that goes on the Caramel Apple Cake,) form a shell on the top of a cake that can range in consistency from gooey to hard. Egg-wash glazes are brushed on cakes, creating a shiny finish and allowing the cake to brown evenly.

JAMS, PRESERVES, FRUIT PURÉES, AND FRUIT CURDS

Jams and preserves can be used straight from the jar for fillings, and fresh fruit, either alone or with a bit of sugar, makes a fine filling when puréed. Curds, usually made from citrus fruits (see the Key Lime Cheesecake), also incorporate butter, eggs, and sugar, and have a rich, creamy texture.

GANACHE

Chocolate ganache, made from melted chocolate and heated cream, is poured over cakes to create a smooth surface and always makes an impressive topping. When combined with butter, it makes a delicious Chocolate Buttercream filling (see Liquid Ingredients).

PASTRY CREAM

This rich, delicate custard is made with milk, eggs, sugar, and flour and can be used to fill cakes, doughnuts, pastries, and many other desserts. It can be flavored with vanilla, lemon, chocolate, raspberry, orange, and many other flavors. The Princess Cake uses pastry cream in between the layers.

WHIPPED CREAM AND NONDAIRY TOPPING

A generous amount of whipped cream adds a sweet, luscious finish to cakes and can also be used to fill, frost, and moisten them. Whipped cream is made by beating air into cream that contains more than 30 percent milk fat. You can sweeten it by adding flavorings or sugar. Nondairy topping is made from coconut or palm oil and is sweeter than whipped cream. It is good for those who are lactose intolerant.

MERINGUE

Made from sugar and egg whites beaten until they are very stiff, meringues are frequently used as frostings and fillings. Meringue can be left out to dry for a period of time, resulting in a crunchy outer layer and a soft interior, or toasted quickly under the broiler or with a kitchen torch to achieve a light brown finish. The s’mores are topped with meringue.

MARZIPAN

Marzipan is a pliable confection used to fill and cover cakes. Made with finely ground almonds, sugar, and egg whites, it is very dense and sweet. It can be rolled out into sheets, cut to size, and then wrapped around cakes, or it can be artistically sculpted into shapes ranging from simple to elaborate, including fruits, animals, and fanciful characters (see the Almond Marzipan Cake,). It is also available premade in many supermarkets and cake-decorating shops.

FONDANT

Fondant is a pliable, moldable confection made from sugar, water, and cream of tartar. After it is cooked to the soft-ball stage, it can be rolled out into sheets and cut into pieces and used to top and fill cakes. When done